Indiana Women's Basketball Begins Last Four-Game Stretch With Northwestern

With only nine days and four games left on the regular season schedule, the Hoosiers are preparing for a quick turnaround game versus Northwestern on Thursday. The Wildcats are fresh off of an upset over then ranked-No. 4 Michigan.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — After suffering their worst loss of the season to Nebraska, the No. 5-ranked Hoosiers headed back home to prepare for Northwestern in a quick three-day turnaround.

On Monday, a non-ranked Cornhuskers team shut down Indiana 72-55. Indiana went 2-for-23 from the arc where many of those shots came in the last quarter as a final ditch effort to catch up.

"We're about a 15 attempt kind of team, not a 23 or a 25," Indiana head coach Teri Moren said. "That's never been us."

This week, the Hoosiers will have three games as a result of COVID-19 rescheduled matchups. Moren said the lack of time to prepare before each game isn't the best case scenario. 

Last week, the Hoosiers also played three games like many other teams across the country trying to reschedule postponed matchups. Moren said she wasn't sure if the lack of time before the Nebraska game had anything to do with the final score or not.

"Disappointed for sure, but we have to lick our wounds quickly and get back home and get ready for Northwestern," Moren said.

On Thursday, the Wildcats are coming to town ready to change the even 39-39 series record between the two teams. Indiana defeated the Wildcats last year slashing a three-game winning streak for Northwestern.

The Wildcats are fresh off of a 71-69 double overtime upset they pulled over then ranked-No. 4 Michigan, Indiana's other Big Ten loss this season.

Senior guard Veronica Burton leads the Wildcats with an average 17.9 points per game. None of her other teammates are even close with freshman forward Caileigh Walsh averaging 8.5 points per contest.

Senior forward Courtney Shaw has the team's highest rebound average with 9.9.

As a whole, the Wildcats are averaging 67.3 points per game compared to the Hoosiers' 72.

While scoring is great and certainly adds the appeal to basketball, the Hoosiers have emphasized the entire season that defense is their theme and something to be proud of.

"Defense wins games," senior guard Grace Berger said. "We've won a lot of games against really good teams where we haven't hit shots, and we've usually been able to rely on our defense."

However, Berger said the Hoosiers' defense was worse than their offense in the Nebraska game, but Moren is counting on her team to regroup before a challenging final stretch of regular season play.

Moren said she will be careful managing her team physically as well as mentally ahead of the last four games of the season. 

"In the Big Ten when you're playing such good opponents night in and night out, I think it can get a little exhausting obviously physically but mentally too," Berger said. "At the end of the day, we love playing basketball."

How to watch Northwestern at Indiana

• Who: Northwestern Wildcats (14-9, 6-6 Big Ten) vs. Indiana Hoosiers (18-4, 10-2 Big Ten)
• When: 6 p.m. ET, Thursday, Feb. 17
• Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.
• TV: BTN
• Radio: WHCC 105.1 FM

Related stories on Indiana women's basketball

• INDIANA LOSES TO NEBRASKA: Indiana's shooting slumped as they went 2-for-23 on three-pointers in their 72-55 loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Although Indiana head coach Teri Moren said she's disappointed, she will always bet on her players to regroup before the next one. CLICK HERE. 
• GRACE BERGER NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior guard Grace Berger had a career high night on Saturday as she cruised past the Michigan State Spartans with 29 points and seven boards. Her combined efforts including Indiana's win over Illinois this week led her to the Big Ten Player of the Week award announced by the league on Monday. CLICK HERE.
• INDIANA BREAKS TOP 5 IN AP POLL: Indiana is now ranked No. 5 in the AP Top 25 Poll passing up Michigan as the highest ranked Big Ten team. Maryland, Ohio State and Iowa round out the remaining conference teams in the poll. CLICK HERE.